Interview | David Ahern

12th April 2018/

To celebrate the release of the third book in the Madam Tulip Mysteries series, MADAM TULIP AND THE BONES OF CHANCE, author David Ahern talks to us about writing and more..

Introduction

David Ahern’s Madam Tulip Mysteries series is entertaining and is well-written, I love the way the author describes events or moods with always a touch of humour shining throughSimply fantastic! If you are not into paranormal novels, do not worry because you can easily read them as upbeat detective novels with likeable quirky characters and exciting actions where the crimes never become too dark or menacing. Funny enjoyable mysteries are liberally sprinkled with the pure gold of Irish wit and humour.

Madam Tulip and The Bones of Chance

A surprise role in a movie takes actress Derry O’Donnell to a romantic castle in the Scottish Highlands. But romance soon turns to fear and suspicion. Someone means to kill, and Derry, moonlighting as celebrity fortune-teller Madam Tulip, is snared in a net of greed, conspiracy and betrayal.

A millionaire banker, a film producer with a mysterious past, a gun-loving wife, a PA with her eyes on Hollywood, a handsome and charming estate manager—each has a secret to share and a request for Madam Tulip. As Derry and her friend Bruce race to prevent a murder, she learns to her dismay that the one future Tulip can’t predict is her own.

“This third book in the Madame Tulip series is a wonderful read, and David Ahern’s wry humour is a delight.”
– whisperingstories

“David Ahern never fails to bring laughter, intrigue and a kaleidoscope of colourful characters together.”
–tometender

The Madam Tulip Mysteries Series

The Madam Tulip Mysteries books are a series of thrilling and hilarious Tulip adventures in which Derry O’Donnell, celebrity fortune-teller and reluctant amateur detective, plays the most exciting and perilous roles of her acting life, drinks borage tea, and fails to understand her parents.

Author Interview

Q Why did you write a book?Because I could do it myself, without needing busloads of people to make it happen. In Tv and theatre, you’re dependant on a budget and a team. You can write a book any time you want. Great!

Q Do you write every day?
Sure do. I have to do it, it’s my drive.

Q Do you work to a plot or do you prefer to see where the idea takes you?
Both. A bit of plotting and bit of pantsing. I write character-driven stories, so I have to let the characters take me where they want to go. On the other hand, a mystery has to be cleverly put together, so you need to plan.

Q How long does it take you to write a book?
A year to two years, depending on what else I’m up to.

Q What’s the worst thing about writing a book?
Being stuck at a desk.

Q What’s the best thing about writing a book?
Making yourself laugh out loud (or blub).

Q If you had to write in a different genre, which would you choose?
Literary, but then I’d have to play the artist and pretend I know what I’m talking about.

Q Which book character do you wish you had written?
Jeeves! What a brilliant character!

Q What do you think are the best and the worst about social media?
The best is the ability to speak directly to readers. The worst is that sentences can get out of their context and spread all over the internet. Also, there seems a tendency to think that, even if a book is a work of fiction, people sometimes think it’s real. But I guess in a way, that is a compliment to the author!

Q If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
Get run over, probably! No kidding, I think perhaps go out for a walk, smell the fresh air and enjoy observing others openly now that they can’t see me!

Q If I joined you on your perfect day, what would we be doing?
I’d be supervising you weeding the vegetable garden. – interviewer’s note: like **** you wouldn’t!I’d probably get rid of the veggies and leave you with the weed!

Q If you could be anyone for the day, who would you be?

If I can go back a few years, Ray Brown, the greatest Jazz bassist ever. Now there’s a true genius.

Thank you for answering these questions, David Ahern and good luck with the Madam Tulip Mysteries series!

About the Author

David Ahern grew up in a theatrical family in Ireland and ran away to Scotland to become a research psychologist. He earned his doctorate and taught in major Universities but could never explain to his granny why he didn’t own a stethoscope. Finding the challenge of pretending to know things exhausting, David Ahern shaved off his beard and absconded once more, this time to work in television. He became a writer, director and producer, creating international documentary series and winning numerous awards, none of which got him free into nightclubs. For no particular reason, David Ahern took to writing fiction. Madame Tulip wasn’t his first novel, but writing it was the most fun he’d ever had with a computer. The author is currently working on his fourth Madam Tulip adventure. David Ahern lives in the beautiful West of Ireland with his wife, two cats and a vegetable garden of which he is inordinately proud.